SynchroNice / Fourth Edition / 2019

find me going on trips with family or friends. So, I spend most of my time on or near the ice, with my coaches and teammates. Still, I wouldn’t change a thing, I love skat­ ing and I couldn’t imagine a life without it. On the other hand, I really believe you’ll find the key to keeping your professional and social life in balance in precise time management. I’ll always try to find some spare time for my family and friends even if it sometimes means…. singing Happy Birthday a day late. All the effort you put into it, is it worth it? Oh for sure Although I give up a lot, I get so much more in return. I’m still young and already I have traveled half the world, made many new friends and acquaintances everywhere, learned about other cultures and I have seen so much already, but above all I’m having loads of fun with my team. I also believe, being a part of a team helps you develop many skills, abilities and virtues. For instance you learn how to put your effort into the team instead of just polishing your own ego and selfishness. You become more aware of other people’s needs or ambitions and you develop a strong self-discipline. You miss out on things, but you get a lot in return, there are no regrets whatsoever. Can you practice as often as you’d like? My team has weekly practices, 4 - 5 hours on ice and 4 hours off ice. I know it’s not enough and we should spend more time on ice but our practices are already mostly late in the evening, because of our school & study obligations plus the fact that we have only two ice rinks here in Zagreb. As she was already drawn to skating, because of the glitter and bling-bling when she was only 4, the outfits are still very important to Anamarija, as well as the choice of music. Music and clothing complete the whole impres­ sion and make you feel part of the theme. My team has a special ritual, we redesign our dresses together as a team and have a lot of fun while doing it. That bonds us as a team and involves us in the programs even more. I like almost all kinds of music, but I especially love skating to Disney soundtracks and my dream is to perform a free program to “The Prince of Egypt” soundtrack one day. Who decides on the choice of music? We are al­ ways invited to make suggestions, but the coaches have the final say. So, if not Synchro Skating….What else would you be doing? If I weren’t a Snowflake? I would probably give my heart to athletics, especially running. I’m really a sports person and I like all kinds of sports. Whenever I get a chance, I roller-skate, swim or jog. If possible, I never miss out on a football match on TV, did you see Croatia at Worlds last year? Awesome or not? I also love music very much. I used to play the flute. All my brothers and my sister play instru­ ments and we often play together, especially on family occasions like Christmas. What is important to you? My family is very impor­ tant to me, so I try to spend as much free time as possible with them. I love to play and fool around with my nephews and nieces. My friends mean a lot to me also and just simply hanging out with them is the max. Then there are a few hobbies, of which I especially like gardening. I enjoy spending my spare time out­ side. I like parties, of course, but my favorite kind of party is a nice barbecue party! You were talking about studying, what is it that you study? I study Coach Education at the Faculty of Kinesiology and I study Preschool Education at the Faculty of Teacher Education. Hopefully I graduate in a couple of months - hopefully - but while studying, I’m able to coach the youngest of the Snowflakes and I just love it. What competition is your favorite to skate at? Well, that’s a very hard question since all competitions are equally important to me and I enjoy them all very much. If I really had to choose however, I would go for our own Zagreb Snowflakes Trophy. Skating in YOU LEARN HOW TO PUT YOUR EFFORT INTO THE TEAM INSTEAD OF JUST POLISHING YOUR OWN EGO AND SELFISHNESS. SYNCHRO NICE 119